MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alcorn State University volleyball program wrapped up a tough weekend at the SWAC Round-Up Sunday against Prairie View A&M, falling to the Lady Panthers in straight sets at Alabama State's Dunn-Oliver Acadome.
Freshmen Octavia Dixon and Mae Lewis led Alcorn offensively over the weekend with 29 kills each. Junior Alondra Rivera Modesto contributed 24, junior Singryd Valadares added 22, and freshman Ashley Samuel finished with 17. Freshman Jasmine Chambers tallied 52 assists, followed by senior Brittney Dumas with 51. Freshman Fiapaipai Iosia served five aces.
On the defensive side of the net, Iosia led the way with 86 digs. Freshman Daharri Thompkins and Valadares recorded eight and seven blocks, respectively.
Texas Southern | L, 0-3 (14-25, 12-25, 17-25)
The Lady Tigers (10-8, 7-3) controlled most of the match, with Alcorn putting up a fight in the final set. Down 12-5, the Lady Braves scored six unanswered to pull within a point. A couple of 3-0 runs allowed TSU to hold off Alcorn and seal the win.
The Alcorn offense was paced by Valadares with seven kills, followed by Dixon and Modesto with five kills each. Dumas and Chambers combined for 24 assists and three Lady Braves served an ace. Defensively, Iosia picked up 11 digs and Dixon, Thompkins, and Valadares recorded blocks.
Southern | L, 1-3 (10-25, 25-23, 13-25, 16-25)
After the Lady Jaguars (6-14, 6-4) took the opening set, the Lady Braves earned a tough match point in set two. With Southern ahead 15-8, a pair of kills and a Jamiya Hoyt ace allowed Alcorn to cut into the SU lead. Later, a pair of kills and a Southern attacking error put the Lady Braves in control, 22-21. The teams then traded points before Valadares closed out the set with back-to-back kills.
Southern controlled the nest two sets, though, to earn the 3-1 decision. Alcorn was led by Dixon with 10 kills and Chambers with 27 assists. Four Lady Braves served aces, Valadares and Thompkins recorded blocks, and Iosia finished with 18 digs.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff | L, 0-3 (16-25, 21-25, 8-25)
The Lady Lions (8-16, 7-4) earned a straight-set victory Saturday afternoon. The Lady Braves trailed 11-4 in set two, but refused to go down without a fight. A 4-0 run and three 3-0 runs got Alcorn to within 23-21, but UAPB scored a kill and an ace to halt the comeback.
Samuel totaled six kills and Thompkins chipped in five, with Dumas earning nine assists. Valadares served a pair of aces, Thompkins and Modesto each had four blocks, and Iosia had 18 digs with a season-high six assists.
Grambling State | L, 1-3 (25-22, 22-25, 13-25, 19-25)
Alcorn took the opening set against the Lady Tigers (11-19, 5-7) and battled in set two, but Grambling pulled away in sets three and four to pick up the win. An 8-1 run helped Alcorn claim the first match point, but a 6-0 run in the following set allowed GSU to tie the match at one apiece.
Dixon and Lewis were close to double-double performances. Dixon scored 12 kills with nine digs, and Lewis totaled 10 kills with eight digs. Dumas picked up 22 assists, followed by freshman Majesty Ferguson with 12. Iosia served a pair of aces and had a team-high 27 digs, while Valadares and Lewis made two blocks each.
Prairie View A&M | L, 0-3 (11-25, 16-25, 8-25)
The Lady Panthers (4-17, 4-10) snapped an 11-game skid Sunday as they controlled each set in the match. Alcorn played its best in set two after jumping out to an early 10-7 lead. PVAMU answered with an 8-0 swing and the Lady Braves were unable to get back into the set.
Alcorn was led by Lewis' four kills and Chambers' six assists. Iosia reached double-digits with 12 digs while four different Lady Braves made block assists.
The Lady Braves have a week to prepare for their final two home games of the regular season, starting with a 5 p.m. match next Sunday, Oct. 29 against Alabama A&M. Alcorn then faces Alabama State that Monday in a 6 p.m. contest.
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